April 2024 Watlington Relief Road Planning Application Live

Oxfordshire County Council has submitted a planning application to construct a 30mph Watlington Relief Road (R3.0010/24).

ORAA has objected to the scheme. It would significantly add road capacity and make driving a quicker and better option.

How to OBJECT to planning application R3.0010/24

Your objection can be made by following three simple steps: click the link to Oxfordshire County Council’s planning portal, scroll down to “Accept”, then “Comment” and “Submit” your objection:

https://myeplanning.oxfordshire.gov.uk/Planning/Display/R3.0010/24#undefined

The County Council planning authority does not publish your personal details. It redacts this information and compiles a report of all resident responses. This is published closer to the time, when the application will be considered for a decision. You have time to add your objection, and it takes only a few minutes.

ORAA has compiled a short, summary paragraph of reasons to object. There is also a more detailed objection quoting planning policies on why the application should be refused.

Why spending at least £16-£20m public money on road building in the countryside will worsen the climate emergency, fails to enhance the beauty of National Landscapes and harms heritage assets. The road cost estimate does not include construction of a bridge over a main river or school coach drop-off and is a per metre cost for road construction.

The County Council’s planning application does not accord with the Development Plan and material considerations across areas of policy critical to reducing transport emissions quickly enough, and to nature recovery by protecting the countryside.

The County Council states the scheme “does not deter private car journeys” (R3.0010/24 PDAS 6.4.14). This conflicts with Policy TRANS1b ii of the South Oxfordshire Local Plan (SOLP 2035), that highway schemes the County Council proposes building for its own use must support measures in its Local Transport and Connectivity Plan. This includes cutting 25% of private car trips by 2030 and a further third by 2040.

The County Council says it would seek financial contributions from future housing development to fund construction, if the road is built. This conflicts with the spatial strategy described in policy STRAT1 of the SOLP 2035 to focus growth in Science Vale, close to employment growth and at existing towns, and to limit growth in the countryside around villages to 15%. All planned housing allocations at Watlington have full planning permission not dependent on a relief road. There is no risk to planned new housing growth at Watlington if the road is not built.

The scheme is not associated with economic growth. It has no funding or endorsement from the County Council in its role as supporting economic development. There are no benefits of the applicant building the scheme for its own use beyond the parish of Watlington (R3.0010/24 PDAS 3.1.1). A WRR is not identified in the County Council’s Local Transport Plan (LTP4 or the current LTCP5) as a road the County needs to build for its own use.It is not a component of an area plan for transport. There are NO strategic benefits (benefits outside Watlington parish) from building the scheme, anywhere in  Oxfordshire. The need for the scheme is:

• To improve air quality within Watlington, which is designated as an AQMA;
• To support local housing growth around Watlington;
• To facilitate active travel within and around Watlington;
• Reduce traffic and congestion in the centre of Watlington; and
• Improve the accessibility of Watlington

The WRR conflicts with many South Oxfordshire Local Plan policies. Strategic transport schemes are only supported “in association with major development” (TRANS1b viii). The applicant claims the road is to meet policies in Watlington’s neighbourhood plan and is not associated with major development. The principle of the scheme makes no contribution to the spatial strategy for housing and employment growth in South Oxfordshire. The applicant states if it is built, it will seek unplanned speculative housing, in conflict with the spatial strategy and policies of the Development Plan and its own LTCP to support homes that relate well to jobs growth and existing major settlements, are on strategic public transport routes and can take advantage of planned transport investment identified in the applicant’s transport plan.

The road scheme has been promoted in Watlington’s neighbourhood plan but also conflicts strongly with both NDP policies and strategic policies. Neighbourhood plans are parish plans and are not examined for soundness. Community aspirations to realign roads controlled by the highway authority are not policies that are part of the Development Plan. The South Oxfordshire Local Plan requires in Policy TRANS3 the thorough test of strategic transport schemes when a planning application is made. Watlington’s neighbourhood plan was adopted in 2018, since when the policy test for road building has changed. A WRR is not identified in the County Council’s Local Transport Plan (LTP4 or the current LTCP5) as a road the County needs to build for its own use.

The road prioritises motor vehicles so fails to meet local and national policies to put vulnerable road users at the top of the user hierarchy. The WRR has no bus infrastructure or segregated cycle infrastructure, (which Active Travel England is unwilling to support) (See WRR Technical Report Objection). Policy TRANS5 of the SOLP requires all new development to provide infrastructure and facilities for cyclists, pedestrians and public transport. The scheme delivers no increase in bus services and is not designed or intended as a bus route.

The existing road is accepted to be retained as vital to service Watlington’s economy. The proposal is for a new road to take some traffic – to relieve – the existing route. The scheme fails to meet the UK Climate Change Committee on new roads which must demonstrate they are “directly contributing to the achievement of net zero”. To do this requires road capacity not to be increased for private cars. The purpose of the relief road is to increase road capacity to make journeys by private car quicker and better. Replacing the bottleneck at Watlington, where private car travel has been suppressed, in close proximity to a motorway junction, spurs more people to drive, resulting in increased private car journeys, called induced travel.

PDAS 3.1.1 sets out the need for the scheme. An aim is a reduction in traffic in the centre which is designated as an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA). Defra prescribes where Local Authorities declare and revoke AQMAs. Watlington AQMA meets the criteria to be revoked soon and is not therefore justification for constructing a road.  SODC’s Air Quality officer has responded no observation. Traffic mitigation measures have been identified that would further reduce emissions and make improvements that would make lives better by reducing delays to 2018 levels taking account of all planned development without the need to build a new road.

The Chilterns Conservation Board objects the scheme would spoil the natural beauty of the Chilterns National Landscape, Shirburn’s listed Parks & Garden, and the enjoyment of many people of views from National Trust Watlington Hill. The CCB cannot support the application.

Housing built alongside the road would be separated by a 40 metre wide expanse of tarmac, with up to three parking spaces per dwelling.  The extremely low density of 12 dwellings per hectare removes more irreplaceable countryside and extends urban sprawl, dominated by traffic and hard surfaces. DES1, DES2, and DES3 of the SOLP state design must reflect and enhance local character, including landscape and natural features and “ensuring that the needs of vehicular traffic does not dominate”. The route is entirely in the setting of the Chilterns National Landscape. The application meets the NPPF definition of HARM to heritage assets.

Policy TRANS3 requires strategic transport schemes to be subject to “thorough assessment”. Where schemes are located in areas of Flood Zones 2 and 3, a flood risk sequential test and the exception test should be undertaken as part of the appraisal process The route uses the largest area of flood zone 3a and b. No sequential test has been provided and the scheme fails the exception test. It relies on shutting roads more frequently to deal with the increased flooding that the scheme would cause. Avoiding development or inappropriate changes of use within areas of flood risk is a more sustainable and long-term solution than relying on the construction of flood defences or local mitigation measures. The Environment Agency has objected to the scheme.

TRANS3 in the SOLP safeguards land for a bypass at Watlington. The scheme applied for is not contained on safeguarded land for infrastructure. It crosses land adjoining the school already gifted for school playing fields. The school playing fields would become separated from the school by a 30mph, HGV spec road. The road and heavily illuminated and fenced school coach drop off are not of land safeguarded for infrastructure but on land protected as an important gap between settlements.

The County Council’s LTCP is a material consideration. Policy 36a states OCC will: “Only consider road capacity schemes after all other options have been explored.” Community aspiration in Watlington’s neighbourhood plan supports the highway authority builds a new road for its own use but the LTCP first requires evaluation of alternatives to road capacity schemes. The WRR planning application is accompanied by an Environmental Statement. The Environmental Impact Assessment also requires consideration of alternatives, which neighbourhood plans are not required to justify with supporting evidence. This applies to the aspirational, indicative route for the County’s realigned road in Watlington’s neighbourhood plan, which was not accompanied by flood risk assessments of alternative routes. Chapter 3 of the ES does not explain or provide evidence to support the selection of the route over safeguarded alternatives.

Better management of the existing road will reduce delay and congestion without the need to build a new road, especially given the road has ONLY been required as mitigation for major development at Chalgrove Airfield, now proposed to be deallocated. Nevertheless, “enabling future housing developments” would be needed to fund the road. We need your help to make the county change tack and avoid accelerating us towards climate breakdown.

What’s happening / being planned?

Watlington Relief Road is a proposed new road through Watlington parish and neighbouring Pyrton parish in South Oxfordshire. The road would be partly funded by £7.1m (2018 estimate) from the Oxfordshire Housing and Growth Deal. Forward funding from the growth deal is conditional that it is clawed back from payments from house builders whose sites are unlocked by the infrastructure forward investment.

The relief road would form part of a new, more attractive strategic route for traffic from the west going to and from the M40, including for HGVs and LGVs. It is expected to ease issues of congestion, noise and air quality in the village but increase traffic along the route.  Bus services would continue to serve Watlington high street.

Land for a bypass at Watlington is safeguarded for a “strategic” transport scheme in the current South Oxfordshire Local Plan, justified by the strategic allocation for 3000 houses at Chalgrove Airfield. This is now proposed to be deallocated from the plan. Sections along the route are zoned for housing and would be built by house developers. These have planning permission and are not dependent on the county council completing a relief road. The Council requires more housing development (to that already approved) to fund its sections of the relief road.

The scheme would include the construction of 1.4km of road, two roundabouts, a school coach drop off and a new crossing of the Chalgrove Brook, chalk stream.